Many Hands

Ayan and Aisha watering

their vertical garden

We were delighted to meet with two of the participants, from last Thursday's vertical gardening workshop, who have already gone ahead and built their own garden. Using left over supplies provided by Tim Bannister, the women built a garden of tomatoes and sukumawiki that they will care for and harvest within the Eastleigh Pottery compound. Both women plan on participating in our upcoming mass planting day where we will be bringing supplies into their homes. "We want to plant many more gardens," smiled Aisha. "With these gardens there will be much to eat and share!"

The Eastleigh Community Centre's Oromo dancing troop preparing for a competition this morning in Nairobi

When we arrived at the Community Centre this morning, we were treated to a short visit with the centre's Oromo dancing group who were on their way out for a competition. Along with people of various Kenyan backgrounds and people from Somalia, the community centre serves a large Oromo population, who have come to Kenya as refugees from Ethiopia. Even within our Iftin group, we are blessed with several Oromo people who are very proud of their unique culture and traditions.

Zahra, Risper, Chegay, Erica, and Vincent

We are blessed with the wonderful team with whom we serve in Eastleigh: The Women's Empowerment Initiative, with which we provide leadership, is one of several key ministries that are happening through the Eastleigh Community Centre. Today we were working with our colleagues from three other areas of ministry to plan the upcoming women's self help re-launch. Over the past two months, we have been working together to mobilize women interested in the Self Help Group movement. We are drawing refugee women throughout Eastleigh to the launch event on June 29th.

In Prayer:

Please pray for the women who will be participating in the start up of the Refugee women's self help groups. Two of the great challenges that they face are a cultural bias against women in leadership and the issue of earning money through interest within a group savings program (Islam does not permit usury or the charging of interest).